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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. bass — low music
  3. net — after costs
  4. firm — steady
  5. cap — a lid
  6. bass — the fish
  7. file — a document
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. firm — a company
  10. cap — a hat
  11. plane — a tool
  12. pit — a hole
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. firm — decided
  16. file — a line of people
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. file — a tool
  20. rush — hurry
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. net — in sport
  23. net — for catching
  24. pit — in a race

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com